French celeb shines brightly - Macron is well aware as Mbappé receives hundreds of millions in cash for joining Real Madrid.
Kylian Mbappé has become a member of the Royal family. The 25-year-old winner of the World Cup in 2018 and the vice-World Cup in 2022 has joined the successful European club Real Madrid, making his long-held dream come true. He signed a contract that will be valid until June 30, 2029. Real made this announcement just 44 hours after their 15th victory in the Champions League. "Mbappé is unbeatable, no matter how hard you try to hit him," exclaimed the Spanish sports newspaper "Marca" right away.
The Expected Transfers
The news that he would be leaving Paris Saint-Germain after seven years had already been confirmed several weeks ago. Two years ago, he had wanted to join Real, but instead extended his contract to stay at PSG till the end of June 2024. While many were speculating about when the announcement would be made, the only question was, well, when?
France's President Emmanuel Macron had accidentally revealed it during a visit to the National Team's headquarters in Clairefontaine, saying, "Tonight." And so it happened. This time, Mbappé was able to make his dream transfer happen perfectly. No release fee was announced, but it was widely reported that it was well into the hundreds of millions of euros.
The Dispute with PSG
PSG's President Nasser al-Khelaifi had recently demanded that Mbappé couldn't just leave for free and go to their biggest rival. According to information from the French sports newspaper "L'Équipe," Mbappé had even delayed his departure until he received payments for his April salary and February bonuses from the club president. A heartfelt farewell from PSG's all-time top goalscorer is therefore limited.
Mbappé had not yet transferred to his dream club in 2022. In an interview with CNN, he explained the reason as being more than just staying at PSG. "It was more than just staying at PSG. It was about the World Cup in Qatar." The World Cup in Qatar was held at the end of 2022, and France reached the desired title defense, but in the final and the shootout against Argentina, he missed against his former PSG teammate Lionel Messi.
The Challenge for Coaches
The question of how to keep this team together after the departure of one of the world's best players will be an issue that the coaches of Europe's top clubs, as well as Real Madrid's biggest rivals, Barcelona, will have to deal with.
Mbappé is also following in the footsteps of famous French players at Madrid. Previously, Zinedine Zidane had played for the Royals, and Jamie Karim Benzema became one of the most successful goalscorers at the club. "There's still a lot left for me to give to football," said the Paris-born striker. "I want to leave my name in the history of football."
